Mr Lucas said the loss of equipment would be covered by insurance, but the loss of service honour rolls, historic paintings and photographs and other memorabilia was devastating.

"We had paintings, no masters, but they were irreplaceable in terms of what the town looked like in its heyday, so there's all this sort of thing that's gone," he said.

"I just can't believe when you look at the devastation there at the moment.

The pub's owners say it's too early to know if it can be rebuilt.(ABC News)

"You know when they tried to blow it up and all the things that have happened to it over the years, it's never looked this bad."

Mr Lucas said the timing of the fire was particularly devastating as the road out to Ora Banda was finally sealed last year, a mobile phone tower had been installed and mining activity in the area was picking up.

He said he and his family had received many calls, texts and other messages of support.

The Ora Banda Hotel was best known for its notorious history.(ABC Goldfields: Sam Tomlin)

When the pub was first built, Ora Banda boasted a population of 2,000.

Today it has only a handful of permanent residents, but attracts tourists from far and wide.

Mr Lucas conceded that one of the pub's main drawcards was its chequered history.

He said the pub had been "unofficially" up for sale for the past few years.